Valtteri Bottas admitted just how excited he is to get his chance with Mercedes

He said of Rosberg’s exit: “Of course, we had a curve ball from Nico late last year that left us scrambling a little bit in the winter.

“But we found a great solution with Valtteri and I am sure that he will form a strong partnership with Lewis.

“They have both been working hard in the factory with the technical teams and, although we have a different dynamic to manage than in recent seasons, I don’t expect the competition between them to be less intense. And that’s how we like it.”

Hamilton will next practice at two pre-season tests in Barcelona next week.